Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975

Procedure at hearingS

245 Quorum and sitting of High Court.S

(1)For the purpose of hearing and determining any appeal [F1under this Part of this Act or any proceeding connected therewith] three of the Lords Commissioners of Justiciary shall be a quorum of the High Court, and the determination of any question under this Part of this Act by the court shall be according to the votes of the majority of the members of the court sitting, including the presiding judge, and each judge so sitting shall be entitled to pronounce a separate opinion.

(2)The High Court shall hold both during session and during vacation such sittings for the disposal of appeals and other proceedings under this Part of this Act as may be necessary.

(3)The provisions of this section shall apply to cases certified to the High Court by a single judge of the said court and to appeals by way of advocation . . . F2 in like manner as they apply to appeals under this Part of this Act.

246 Sittings to be arranged by Lord Justice General.S

Sittings of the High Court (including sittings in Court of Session vacation and sittings of a judge of the court under section 247 of this Act) [F3for the purposes of hearing and determining any appeal under this Part of this Act or any proceeding connected therewith] shall be arranged to be held as may from time to time be directed by the Lord Justice General, whom failing by the Lord Justice Clerk.

247 Powers which may be exercised by a single judge.S

The powers of the High Court under this Part of this Act . . . F4, to extend the time within which [F5intimation of intention to appeal and note of appeal] . . . F4 may be given, to allow the appellant to be present at any proceedings in cases where he is not entitled to be present without leave, and to admit an appellant to bail, may be exercised by any judge of the High Court in the same manner as they may be exercised by the High Court, and subject to the same provisions; but, if the judge refuses an application on the part of the appellant to exercise any such power in his favour, the appellant shall be entitled to have the application determined by the High Court.

248 Single judge may act wherever convenient.S

A judge of the High Court sitting under the provisions of section 247 of this Act may sit and act wherever convenient.

249 Interlocutory proceedings.S

Subject to the provisions of section 247 of this Act and without prejudice thereto, preliminary and interlocutory proceedings incidental to any appeal or application may be disposed of by a single judge.

250 Representation before single judge.S

In all proceedings before a judge under section 247 of this Act, and in all preliminary and interlocutory proceedings and applications except such as are heard before the full court, the parties thereto may be represented and appear by a solicitor alone.

251 Appeal against refusal of application.S

(1)When an application or applications have been dealt with by a judge of the High Court, under section 247 of this Act, the Clerk of Justiciary shall notify to the applicant the decision in the form set out in an Act of Adjournal under the M1Criminal Appeal (Scotland) Act 1926 or under this Act or as nearly as may be in such form.

(2)In the event of such judge refusing all or any of such applications, the Clerk of Justiciary on notifying such refusal to the applicant shall forward to him the prescribed form to fill up and forthwith return if he desires to have his said application or applications determined by the High Court as fully constituted for the hearing of appeals under this Part of this Act. If the applicant does not so desire, or does not return within five days to the Clerk the form duly filled up by him, the refusal of his application or applications by such judge shall be final.

(3)If the applicant desires a determination by the High Court as aforesaid and is not legally represented, he may be present at the hearing and determination by the High Court of his said application:

(4)When an applicant duly fills up and returns to the Clerk of Justiciary within the prescribed time the said form expressing a desire to be present at the hearing and determination by the court of the applications mentioned in this section, the said form shall be deemed to be an application by the applicant for leave to be so present, and the Clerk of Justiciary, on receiving the said form, shall take the necessary steps for placing the said application before the court.

(5)If the said application to be present is refused by the court, the Clerk of Justiciary shall notify the applicant; and if the said application is granted, he shall notify the applicant and the Governor of the prison wherein the applicant is in custody and the [F6Secretary of State].

(6)For the purpose of constituting a Court of Appeal, the judge who has refused any such application may sit as a member of such court, and take part in determining such application.

[F7252 Powers of High Court.S

Without prejudice to any existing power of the High Court, that court may for the purposes of an appeal under section 228(1) [F8or 228A]of this Act—

(a)order the production of any document or other thing connected with the proceedings;

(b)hear any additional evidence relevant to any alleged miscarriage of justice or order such evidence to be heard by a judge of the High Court or by such other person as it may appoint for that purpose;

(c)take account of any circumstances relevant to the case which were not before the trial judge;

(d)remit to any fit person to enquire and report in regard to any matter or circumstance affecting the appeal;

(e)appoint a person with expert knowledge to act as assessor to the High Court in any case where it appears to the court that such expert knowledge is required for the proper determination of the case.]

253 Evidence in court or on commission.S

(1)The evidence of any witnesses ordered to be examined before the High Court or before any judge of the High Court or other person appointed by the High Court shall be taken in accordance with the existing law and practice as to the taking of evidence in criminal trials in Scotland. The appellant or applicant and the respondent or counsel on their behalf shall be entitled to be present at and take part in any examination of any witness to which this section relates.

(2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F9

[F10254 Disposal of appeals.S

(1)The High Court may, subject to subsection (4) below, dispose of an appeal against conviction by—

(a)affirming the verdict of the trial court;

(b)setting aside the verdict of the trial court and either quashing the conviction or substituting therefor an amended verdict of guilty:

(c)setting aside the verdict of the trial court and granting authority to bring a new prosecution in accordance with section 255 of this Act.

(2)In setting aside, under subsection (1) above, a verdict the High Court may quash any sentence imposed on the appellant [F11(or as the case may be any disposal or order made)]as respects the indictment, and—

(a)in a case where it substitutes an amended verdict of guilty, whether or not the sentence [F12(or disposal or order)]related to the verdict set aside; or

(b)in any other case, where the sentence [F12(or disposal or order)]did not so relate,

may pass another (but not more severe) sentence [F13or make another (but not more severe) disposal or order]in substitution for the sentence [F14, disposal or order]so quashed.

(3)The High Court may, subject to subsection (4) below, dispose of an appeal against sentence by—

(a)affirming such sentence; or

(b)if the Court thinks that, having regard to all the circumstances, including any additional evidence such as is mentioned in section 228(2) of this Act, a different sentence should have been passed, quashing the sentence and passing another sentence whether more or less severe in substitution therefor.

(4)In relation to any appeal under section 228(1) of this Act, the High Court shall, where it appears to it that the appellant [F15(or disposal or order made)]committed the act charged against him but that he was insane when he did so, dispose of the appeal by—

(a)setting aside the verdict of the trial court and substituting therefor a verdict of acquittal on the ground of insanity; and

(b)quashing any sentence imposed on the appellant as respects the indictment and ordering that he be detained in a state hospital or such other hospital as for special reasons the court may specify.

[F16(4A)In subsection (3) above, “appeal against sentence” shall, without prejudice to the generality of the expression, be construed as including an appeal under section 228(1)(bb), (bc) or (bd), and any appeal under section 228A, of this Act; and other references to sentence in that subsection shall be construed accordingly.]

(5)The provisions of subsection (4) of section 174 of this Act shall apply to an order under subsection (4)(b) above as they apply to an order under that section.]

[F17254A Sentencing guidelines.S

(1)In disposing of an appeal under section 228(1)(b), (bb), (bc), (bd) or (c) or 228A of this Act the High Court may, without prejudice to any other power in that regard, pronounce an opinion on the sentence or other disposal or order which is appropriate in any similar case.

(2)Without prejudice to any rule of law, a court in passing sentence shall have regard to any relevant opinion pronounced under subsection (1) above.]

[F18254B Convictions not to be quashed on certain grounds.S

No conviction, sentence, judgment, order of court or other proceeding whatsoever in or for the purposes of solemn proceedings under this Act—

(a)shall be quashed for want of form; or

(b)where the accused had legal assistance in his defence, shall be suspended or set aside in respect of any objections to—

(i)the relevancy of the indictment, or the want of specification therein; or

(ii)the competency or admission or rejection of evidence at the trial in the inferior court,

unless such objections were timeously stated.]

[F19255 Supplementary provisions where High Court authorises new prosecution.S

(1)Where authority is granted under section 254(1)(c) of this Act, a new prosecution may be brought charging the accused with the same or any similar offence arising out of the same facts; and the proceedings out of which the appeal arose shall not be a bar to such new prosecution:

(2)A new prosecution may be brought under this section, notwithstanding that any time limit (other than the time limit mentioned in subsection (3) below), for the commencement of such proceedings has elapsed.

(3)Proceedings in a prosecution under this section shall be commenced within two months of the date on which authority to bring the prosecution was granted; and for the purposes of this subsection proceedings shall, in a case where such warrant is executed without unreasonable delay, be deemed to be commenced on the date on which a warrant to apprehend or to cite the accused is granted, and shall in any other case be deemed to be commenced on the date on which the warrant is executed.

(4)Where the two months mentioned in subsection (3) above elapse and no new prosecution has been brought under this section, the order under section 254(1)(c) of this Act setting aside the verdict shall have the effect, for all purposes, of an acquittal.]

256 Frivolous appeals.S

If on any [F20note] of appeal against a conviction purporting to be on a ground of appeal which involves a question of law alone it appears to the High Court that the appeal is frivolous or vexatious, and that it can be determined without adjourning it for a full hearing, they may dismiss the appeal summarily, without calling on any persons to attend the hearing or to appear for the Crown thereon.

257 Failure to appear at hearing.S

Where no appearance is made by or on behalf of an appellant . . . F21 at the diet appointed for the hearing of an appeal . . . F21 and where no case or argument in writing has been timeously lodged, the High Court shall dispose of the appeal . . . F21 as if it had been abandoned.

258 Appellant may be sentenced in absence.S

The power of the High Court to pass any sentence under this Part of this Act may be exercised notwithstanding that the appellant [F22(or, where the Lord Advocate is the appellant, the convicted person)]is for any reason not present.

259 Continuation of hearing.S

The High Court or any single judge exercising the powers of the High Court under section 247 of this Act may continue the hearing of any appeal or application to a date, fixed or not fixed, and any judge of the High Court, or other person appointed by the court to take additional evidence, may fix any diet of proof necessary for that purpose.

260 Notice of decision of court on application.S

When the High Court has heard and dealt with any application under this Part of this Act, the Clerk of Justiciary shall (unless it appears to him unnecessary so to do) give to the applicant (if he is in custody and has not been present at the hearing of such application) notice of the decision of the court in relation to the said application.

261 Notice of determination of appeal.S

On the final determination of any appeal under this Part of this Act or of any matter under section 247 of this Act, the Clerk of Justiciary shall give notice of such determination to the appellant or applicant [F23(or, where the Lord Advocate is the appellant, the convicted person)]if he is in custody and has not been present at such final determination, to the clerk of the court in which the conviction took place, and to the [F24Secretary of State].

262 Finality of proceedings.S

Subject to the provisions of the next following section of this Act, all interlocutors and sentences pronounced by the High Court under this Part of this Act shall be final and conclusive and not subject to review by any court whatsoever and it shall be incompetent to stay or suspend any execution or diligence issuing from the High Court under this Part of this Act.